Bioshock: A Novelization
by Malak1289
Summary: Essentially a novelization of the events in the first game, however it also offers perspectives from and insights to the other major citizens of Rapture.
1. The Crash

**I have re-uploded my story thusfar. It is all pretty much the same, except I have made two chapters into 6, and I have actually added new details to a few parts. More chapters are coming soon I promise to those few of you who actually enjoy reading this. I just am sort of a perfectionist so that, mixed with the fact that I just havent found time latley, is why it takes me a while, I really want to convey this marvelous story as best as I can.**

Bioshock

**Chapter One: The Crash**

Andrew Ryan sat at his desk pondering what was to come. His eyes were closed and he was listening to the sounds of his beloved Rapture. The tinking and clonking and dripping, had long since stopped being annoying. It had evolved into a sort of language. The city itself was speaking to him, soothing him, protecting him. He laughed quietly to himself. Thinking how Rapture was his own personal Big Daddy. His laugh ended quickly, like all Big Daddys, Rapture could be brought down. Was brought down already. Betrayed by the weak.

He opened his eyes slowly. With all of the horrible decay that overwhelmed his city, his office had managed to remain as extravagant as the day he first entered it.

"Exquisite, Bill." He had smiled, as he strolled around his office on that first day.

"Thank you kindly Mr. Ryan, I tell you what them old chaps up top don't have it as good as I made it for you down ere."

So long ago, he stood up from his reminiscing and walked over to the large window behind his desk. His city looked so beautiful from here, so peaceful you could hardly tell that there was bloodshed and chaos behind those walls. He sighed; it was all god dammed Fontaine's fault; good now that he was dead.

Ryan felt the rumble even before the surface monitors started blaring. "What the hell!?" he rushed to the bank of monitors and flicked a switch next to the largest screen. All of his surface sensors were fried. A camera that he had posted showed a most disturbing image. A plane appeared to have crashed, right next to the lighthouse. How convenient, had the government finally found him, the KGB, CIA, or was it someone else. The fuzzy picture showed a single man swimming out of the wreckage toward the lighthouse. He climbed the steps and rested a moment on a broken lamp post, surveying the wreckage.

"How odd."

"Maybe you should let him in Andy dear." Startled by the woman's voice, he turned to see Diane standing there.

"What if he is a spy darling; sent by those pigs?" He knew deep down that Diane was not really there, but after so long down here without a friendly person who was not completely insane or so spliced up he could not even recognize them. He began to go a little crazy himself.

"Then teach him a lesson, show him why no one can mess with Andrew Ryan." She was right after all, and he turned to agree with her but she was already gone. Shaking his head, he flicked another switch that would open the door to the lighthouse, just as the man was ascending the steps.

When he entered the door Ryan quickly shut it and locked it. Ryan could hear the man struggling in the darkness for a few moments trying to open the door. He flicked the lights on for him, and the man began to walk forward lights turning on as he walked. Another switch and Ryan unlocked the bathysphere that he would come to. As the man entered it and pulled the lever it began its journey.

Through the shortwave radio that was inside the sphere Ryan heard his own voice giving the welcoming speech. How foolish this man was if he thought that he could just sneak into his city. Oh this was going to be a fun night.

* * *

Atlantic flight 512 cruised gently above the middle of the Atlantic on April the 8th 1960. Inside the plane, in seat 11c sat Jack. Jack was enjoying a cigarette. He looked lovingly at the photograph of his parents that he kept in his wallet. They always told him that he was meant to do great things. And you know what, they were right.

"Sir? Would you care for a drink?" the young and attractive stewardess smiled down at him, as he shook his head. As she walked off he could not help himself from looking at her legs. Which seemed to stretch on forever from underneath her short blue skirt. Smiling to himself he turned his attention to the gift that he parents had given him. He looked up and made eye contact with a little blond girl leaning over the seat in front of him. He smiled, but it was hollow. He had never really liked children for some reason. Especially little girls.

His attention turned back to the gift from his parents. And that was the last thing he remembered before passing out.

Jack could hear people screaming through the darkness that surrounded him. Cries of women and children. What a horrible nightmare

The darkness slowly faded and Jack became aware that it was not a nightmare. But the darkness was replaced by a crushing icy feeling, and he knew that he was underwater. Instinctively he began to push his arms and legs, frantically trying to get to the air above. Pushing past purses and suitcases and a teddy bear. Just as his lungs were about to burst, he broke the surface. Sweet air filled his lungs. At least it would have been sweet had it not been tainted by the rancid smell of burning fuel. As soon as he had his bearings he began to swim forward towards the tail end of the plane that was sticking out of the water a few yards away. He did not know what good it would do him, as he was in the middle of the ocean. As he drew nearer an oil slick erupted trailing to another portion of the plane that exploded on contact. Jack had to dive underwater to avoid the flying shrapnel.

When he surfaced he turned to his right. And to his amazement there, in the middle of the ocean, was a lighthouse. He began to head for it. It was odd he must admit, but he was not about to question it, as long as he could put his feet on something solid he was good. He climbed up onto the steps and rested on a broken lamp post. He could not believe it, how could he have survived. Burning wreckage was all that was left of the plane. There were no other movements, no screaming. From what he could tell there were no other survivors. He figured he had best head inside, to see if someone could call for help.

He climbed, or rather ran, up the steps and found a door at the top, it was open, and within there was darkness. Hesitantly he stepped inside. And the door slammed shut behind him. He banged and struggled for a few moments, trying frantically to open the sealed door. Then the lights came on. Jack was in some kind of reception room. There was a large oval monument and the huge bust of a man looking down on him suspended above it. There was a large red banner that read "No gods or Kings. Only Man."

"HELLO" Jack called "Can someone please help? There's- there's been a crash" but the only reply was his own echo which seemed to call back tauntingly from up above.

"_Creepy_" Jack thought, as he stepped forward he became aware of music playing softly somewhere. A pleasant tune that seemed odd in this place. There was a plaque below the bust "In what country is there a place for people like me? - Andrew Ryan". He continued around the oval monument. And down some steps lights illuminating along his way. Until he came into an oval room with what appeared to contained a sort of submarine. There were three plaques on the wall that read "Industry" "Science" and "Art". "_What is this place_?" The door to the sub was open. And, despite the voice in his head screaming at him not to, he stepped inside.

He stretched out his hand and pulled the lever. The door shut and the sub began its descent. Jack watched out of the glass door as a sign passed "10 Fathoms" and then another "18 Fathoms." Before a screen slid up blocking his view. A projector of some sort started. And it showed an advertisement. "Fire at your finger tips" it read. There was a man, whose finger was on fire, lighting a cigarette for a woman, and below that "Plasmids by Ryan industries." Another picture came on, this one of a man sitting in a chair with the headline "From the desk of Ryan"

"I am Andrew Ryan" the voice scarred him at first, before Jack realized that it was just a recording. "And I am here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his own brow?" An image of a man being attacked by an eagle in front of the White House replaced the image. "No, says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor" The next slid showed a man being attacked by a hand in front of a church."No says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God" The next was of a man being attacked by a scythe and hammer in front of another building."No says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone." That image was replaced by the original of Ryan in a chair. "I rejected those answers, instead I chose something different, I chose the Impossible, I chose..." The screen slid down. "Rapture" Jack was utterly speechless.

An entire city laid before Jacks eyes. Unbelievable, had he died in the crash? Was this heaven, or hell? No he was alive, and he was looking at a city, miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. Squid and whales and all other sorts of sea life swam by the sub, on its journey through the city. The voice of Ryan continued. "A city where the artist would not fear the censor. Where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality. And where the great would not be constrained by the small. And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your city as well."

There the message ended and Jack was left to stare in utter disbelief at the city that he was floating by. Skyscrapers complete with neon advertisements dominated his view. More voices appeared to be issuing from somewhere else in the sub.

"The lighthouse is all lit up like hellfire, looks like some kind a plane crash."

"We are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, how could it?"

"I dunno but you better get up there fast, the splicers are comin."

"What how do you know anyone even survived?"

"The bathysphere's comin up boyo that means we got company"

The sub turned and headed for a sort of port. It passed beneath three neon rings that lit up as he drew nearer. "All good things" "Flow into" "The city". The last began to spark and flicker as he went under it. The sub stopped as it entered the round hole at the end of the rings, and began to rise.

* * *

On the evening of December the 31st 1958 Diane Mclintock sat alone at a table in the Kashmir restaurant. She stared blankly out of the window. The sea was so peaceful. No matter what happened inside these walls. Outside, would remain as peaceful and tranquil as ever. She felt a pang of sadness as she turned her head and starred at all of the people enjoying their new years together.

She pressed record on the small audio dairy that many, if not all of the citizens of Rapture had become accustomed to caring around.

"Well, its New Years Eve, and you're stuck in Hephaestus working late as usual. I guess I'll just have another drink" Picking up the drink she held it up as if to make a toast. "Here's to Diane Mclintock, the silliest girl in Rapture. Silly enough to fall in love with Andrew Ryan."

There was an explosion then and Diane was flung back knocking her face on an upturned table. The metal legs digging into her face. She could hear screaming everywhere. She struggled to her feet.

"What...What happened. I'm bleeding" she tripped on something and fell into the pool of water that had grown on the finely polished floor. She stood again and tried to peer around. But she could barely see through the blood that overwhelmed her face. She could make out figures running, screaming. A man ran into the water in an attempt to put out the fire that embraced his entire body.

She clambered up the steps and was knocked down by someone else. She wiped the blood away enough to make out several splicers cornering the barman before bashing him in the head with their heavy iron pipes.

Before the darkness completely took her she looked up to see him standing there. Atlas they called him. The leader of the resistance, and he was smiling.


	2. Welcome to Rapture

Bioshock

**Chapter Two: Welcome to Rapture**

The bathysphere, as Jack had heard it called finally came to a stop in some sort of dark port. As the water slid off of the window Jack could only see darkness, that was slightly illuminated by a lone flickering light. Through the darkness emerged a man. He was backing away from some unseen foe.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trespassing. Just please…please don't hurt me." A woman stepped into the light. Only there was obviously something wrong with her. She wore an all orange, dirty, jumpsuit, and had what appeared to be hooks in her hand. Her hair hung in large filthy clumps around her face.

The man was still backing up when she lunged forward, digging her hooks into his stomach, and spewing blood everywhere. He screamed in pain and tumbled backward over a railing, into the water. Jack could only watch in horror, still trapped in his metal prison.

With him dead, the woman turned her attention to the bathysphere. Her matted hair parted just a little. Jack could now clearly see that she had goggles on, obscuring her face from view. He could hear her raspy breathing.

"Is it someone new?" her voice was sand paper over rocks. She peered inside the bathysphere. And then she let out a scream that, even through the thick glass, made Jack cover his ears. She jumped high into the air. There was a thud on the roof of the bathysphere. And he heard her hooks dragging on the metal. Then the bathysphere began to rock back and forth violently as she dug her hooks in, trying frantically to get to the prize inside. A pipe in the hull exploded inward, the steam knocked Jack off his feet.

As quickly as it had begun, it was over. And she had run off. And Jack was left alone in the flickering dark. He tried for several seconds to open the glass door, but it would not budge. Then he heard static and through that a voice.

"Would you kindly pick up that shortwave radio?" Jack located the radio next to the door, and did as he was told.

"Hello?"

"Hello there, my name's Atlas, and I aim to keep you alive." The Irish voice was pleasant and friendly.

The door to the bathysphere opened.

"First things first, take a deep breath and step out of the bathysphere; we've got to get you to higher ground." Jack felt that he best not argue with him. He stepped from the bathysphere and found himself in a world he could not believe.

As he walked away from the sphere, he could hear that, creature seemed to be the best word. She was whispering, incoherently. He could hear what sounded like clawing across the ceiling. He was in a sort of terminal, as he guessed it. Large walls and a high ceiling. As he moved large metal shades descended from the windows, retiring from their task of obscuring the world outside. And Jack found himself looking out onto the rest of the city. A raspy cough brought him back to reality, although he was still trying to figure out if that was what it was.

He ran across the lobby passing by a pile of large picket signs. He only caught a glimpse of one that read. "Rapture is Dead" He had a bad feeling about this place. He also noticed the smell. Sort of a musty, metal smell. Mixed with large amounts a fecal matter. The smell could only be described as the smell of death. As he entered the room adjacent to the terminal he slowed. She was in here. He could hear her. Most of all he was sure that he could smell her soiled pants.

"I will wrap you in a blanket" slow, like nails on a chalkboard. He stepped forward slowly.

"Just a bit farther" the voice of Atlas was at his ear. "We've got to lure her out of hiding" As jack stepped toward a wall of debris that is when she appeared.

She landed right in front of him and snarled, she actually snarled. Then she screamed. Jack fell backward, his only defense. It was then that Jack Noticed the camera that was right above him.

"Gotcha" cried Atlas as a flying machine flew by Jack and started shooting at the creature. She sped off, the bot chasing her up the wall until finally Jack could no longer hear her.

"Goddam splicers, Johnny never even had a chance." Jack go up, hopped over the wall of debris and sat down on the floor. "Sorry boyo, didn't catch your name" It took Jack a minute to realize that Atlas was talking to him, but then, who else would he be talking to.

"Uh...Jack"

"Well Jack, welcome to Rapture, the world's fastest growing pile of junk. Now you're not out o the woods yet. So would you kindly find a crowbar or something?" He did as he was told, there just happened to be a nice big wrench lying a few feet away. He climbed to his feet and picked it up.

He made his way up the staircase that was directly in front of him. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just needed to walk off what had just happened. As he reached the top he had to duck to narrowly avoid the large iron pipe that nearly took his head off.

"Ahh" the man lunged at him again, but Jack was ready for him, he dodged to the right and tripped him. As he went down Jack delivered a blow with the heavy wrench to the back of the man's head. A sickening crunch and he was down.

"What the hell is going on in this place Atlas?"

"Well Jack that is sort a tough to explain, all you need to know is that this place has gone to hell."

Jack continued towards what looked like a door. As much as he tried it would not open.

"Doors down here aren't like the ones you see topside. They open automatically, and from the looks of it, that door is fried." Sure enough the little control panel next to the door was giving off little sparks.

"Wait, can you see me." The realization of this had just dawned on Jack.

"Sorry, probably should a mentioned that I got access to some o the security cameras round here. Not all mind you, but I can also hear you wherever you are." Clipping the radio to the inside of his belt, Jack turned around searching for some other means out of here.

"No chance" Atlas chimed, as if reading his mind "Your gonna have to go through that door."

"But how?"

"Just head up those stairs there." Jack followed Atlas's instructions and headed up the staircase that was next to where he had entered this room. At the top he found a sort of vending machine. "Gathers Garden" was spelled out in neon above the machine. Two little girls stood on either end of the machine, sculpted from metal. In the slot there was a syringe of orange glowing liquid.

"Would you kindly inject that, no worries its just something to help you along." Jack did as he was told and picked up the syringe, removing the plastic wrapping he pressed the needle into his arm. Not something that he would normally had done, especially when a stranger told him to, but Jack felt that he could trust Atlas, considering that he had just saved his life. He pressed the plunger.

Pain. Pain as he had never felt before was shooting through his entire body. He backed away from the machine as if it would stop the pain.

"Easy now, your genetic code is being rewritten!" farther and farther he backed until he was against the railing that over looked the floor below. But he did not stop there, in his attempt to get away from the pain he went end over end, over the railing. Landing on the most unwelcoming floor below. Resulting in almost immediate unconsciousness.

* * *

Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum had come to Rapture for one reason. Science. It was her love, her life. But up there, the men ruled its practice. She was just 16 when she realized her love. She was in a German prison camp, and she would notice little mistakes that the doctors there would make during their experiments. She would tell them this, and it would make them angry. That she, a little child could know more than they. She had never taken one single lesson, never attended one day of school. Yet she knew more than those men. The knowledge just seemed to come to her. Books flew through her hands faster than light. Yet she was not allowed to practice it openly? For all her knowledge the men would have her waste it, spending her life cooking, and tending to the needs of the "stronger" " smarter" men.

Yet some of the scientists used her knowledge, made her do experiments even. They called her "Das Wunderkind" the wonder child. And still, after helping these men, they still hid her, and claimed her results for their own.

It was not until she was enlisted by the Fuhrer himself, did she truly get to do her own work. He had heard of her through private channels. She did things for him that changed her, experiments and tests that would make a normal person sick to the stomach. But somehow her childhood of abuse and losing her family made her different. She knew many things, but human emotion was something that she could not wrap her mind around.

Of course towards the end of the war, when she stopped being Hitler's "Wunderkind" it was back to a life of men thinking they were the top minds. Once Hitler did not care, well no one else did either.

So, she fled Germany. And came to America, the very place that her tests and theories had been running round the clock to try and destroy. But the truth be told, she was loyal to whomever gave her the lab and the money. And to her surprise, they were much like the "Tyrant" that they had destroyed. Women were not given anywhere close to the same rights as men.

Rapture was a place, free from opinions like that. So when she received an invitation from Andrew Ryan to come to this place, she could not refuse.

"Hello?"

"Yes, is this Dr. Bridgette Tenenbaum?" that was the voice of Andrew Ryan in the year 1947. Bridgette was sitting in the tiny office that served as her lab. Doing all of her business through phone or mail, she had posed as a man and had managed to buy this little room in which to work. She had never before been called Dr., as she was not. For in order for someone to be considered a doctor of anything, they had to have a PhD.

"This is Bridgette yes."

"Hello Dr. Tennenbaum, this is Andrew Ryan" Andrew Ryan, she had heard of him before the noted businessman. He had been in the news lately. Mostly ridiculous stories of him starting a colony underwater. As she recalled he had disappeared about a year ago, just dropped off the face of the earth. "I understand that you are a woman of science."

And that was it, within the week she was in the city of Rapture. It was so beautiful back then. Ryan had hired her to work on the various technological advances that had developed in Rapture. Advances that, in the world above, would be impossible with the watchful eye of the superpowers.

She was paired with Dr. Yi Suchong, Ryan's head scientist. Although Bridgette had always found the man to be quite dull compared to her. It was a shame, what happened to him.

Tennebaum's truly greatest work had stemmed from her discovery of the substance that would change Rapture forever. The substance that was responsible for the destruction of the city.

She now sat in a dirty chair, in a decrepit hideout, deep in the bowels of the city. She was watching her little children play on the rug. She discovered Adam. The fuel for Rapture's destruction. Adam was a substance that modified ones genetic structure. And it was purely by accident that she had found it.

While unloading a barge, one of the smugglers was bitten by this sea slug. And the next morning he found that he could move the hand that he had paralyzed during the war. Tenenbaum had asked him if he still had the slug. And as luck would have it, he did.

After extensive research on the slug Tenenbaum finally discovered what it was that had done this to the man. It was a particular enzyme inside the slug that, when combined with human genes, created the most marvelous effects. However the enzyme could only be extracted in very small doses, not enough to do much. She then decided to test as to whether the slugs could bond with the host in order to produce much more of this marvelous substance. But alas, their adult bodies kept rejecting the slugs. So that is when Dr. Suchong suggested a most spectacular idea, A child.

That discovery was supposed to make her rich, famous, and most of all respected. But instead she was here hiding like a snake, sucking down a cigarette.

She felt the rumble, even before the red light on the wall began to blink. She got up from the chair, and walked past the little ones, who had only stopped from the playing for a moment. She flicked a switch next to a small monitor under the light. The view was of outside the lighthouse. There appeared to have been a plane crash. A man was swimming from the wreckage, and a flare of hope bloomed inside Tenenbaum. She watched still as the motion sensitive cameras followed him down into the city. She heard, through her own shortwave radio, the voice of Atlas.

He would want this man to hurt her little ones. This, she could not allow. She would have to see if this man had any kindness in him. Enough to save her children. A feat she could never achieve on her own. Maybe this man would be her ticket for redemption. Her chance to wash away the blood that stained her hands.

* * *

Slowly Jack's eyes began to focus. He was lying on the floor, but he was not alone. There were two men approaching him. One knelt down to peer in his face.

Even though his vision was distorted, Jack could clearly see that there was something wrong with him. His face sagged horribly, like melting clay.

"This little fish looks like he just had his cherry popped. Maybe he still gots some Adam." His breath smelled of rotting fish and shit. The other one began to back away.

"Shh, do you hear that, I think it's a Big Daddy, I don't want to be here when a little sister shows up" at that he turned tail, and took off. This obviously angered the other one, for he stood and yelled after his companion.

"Weak! Your Weak!" he, however, didn't seem to be in the mood to be around the "Big Daddy" as he ran after his friend. That was it, Jack faded back into, blackness.

Again his eyes opened, through the blurriness he could see a little girl standing in front of him. She had a dirty pink smock on. And there was something wrong with her color. Her skin was a light shade of green. As his eyes focused more, he noticed someone standing behind her.

It was a giant in a diving suit, that was the best way Jack could think to describe it. As least 9 feet tall. It had a huge drill where its right hand should have been.

"Look Mr. Bubbles, it's an angel" Jack could have sworn that there were two voices speaking at once. She knelt in for a closer look. "Oh, his not an angel yet, but I know he will be soon." On that she and her lumbering companion walked away. The giant's footsteps shaking the ground with each step. Jack faded to darkness once again.

The next time Jack awoke, his eyes adjusted quickly, and he found that he could move again. He was getting tired of this blacking out shit.

"Sorry about that Jack. You'll be alright, first time plasmids a kick in the arse. But there's nothing like a fist full of lightning is there?" What the hell was Atlas talking about? And, as if reading his thoughts. "Just look at your left hand, you'll start to feel it." Jack raised his left hand. And he did indeed feel a sort of tingling. As he contracted the muscles in his hand, electricity spread over his whole arm. It scarred him at first, as he thought it would hurt. He relaxed his hand, and the electricity flew from his hand, striking a neon sign, and shorting it out. It tingled a little when he relaxed his hand, but other than that, there was no pain.

"Cool"

"I'd say so. Now, you've just had your first dose of Adam. The fuel of Rapture. Why don't you try it on that door there?" Jack pointed his hand at the flickering console next to the door. And with a burst of electricity the door shot open. "Ah, I knew it, now keep going" Jack wanted answers first.

"How about you tell me what the hell happened here first and where exactly you are having me go. I mean, I really appreciate your help, but I was just in a plane crash, and Christ I don't even know if anyone is still alive up there. " Atlas was silent for a few moments.

"Alright Jack, I'd say you've earned that much."

"The story of Rapture is really a simple one. It all began with Andrew Ryan. You see Ryan had grown tired of living in a world where a man could not do as he pleased. In America your hard work went to help the poor. Then in Russia they of course thought that a man's own should be shared by everyone. And let's not forget the church, which wanted all of your hard work, dedication, and money, to go to God. At least those are the reasons that Ryan started this place. Everyone else had their own reasons for coming here. But it was mostly just rich folk who didn't want to pay taxes and such. Now everything was fine for a while, until a gal by the name o Tenenbaum discovered that there Adam. People could use it for cosmetic purposes, or they could get themselves some of them their fancy powers like you got. Tennenbaum also created Eve, a sort a fuel for Adam. And still it was fine. But the thing about Eve boyo, is that it does something to your brain, without any Adam. Destroys the cells or somthin. Anyways, people use to much, and they go crazy. Not enough Adam to keep up with all the Eve. It was horrible, best friends butchering each other. Not to mention the war going on. Now Jack, you might hear things about me, see things. Posters and such. That was back when I was sort of a leader, I guess against Ryan and his ink. But that is all done now. And now, I just need to get my family out of here. They are locked up in a sub in Neptune's Bounty. I know you must feel like the unluckiest man in the world right now, but you're the only chance I'll ever see my family again. Now would you kindly get a move on, I don't know how long my family will last. Ryan's is able to control those splicers. And I fear that he might find my family at any moment."

Jack did as he was told and began to walk through the door. He was in a connecting glass tube. Even though he was positively scarred shitless, he could not help but stop and stare at the city outside. As he was looking outside he noticed something coming towards him. It took him a few seconds before he recognized the tail end of the plane. He dove aside just as it made contact with the glass. There was a horrifying crunch of breaking glass, and an even worse sound.

The tube was quickly filling with water. He got up and ran through the section of the plane. Climbing over seats he climbed through a hole on the other side. He ran as fast as he could through the rising water. He could see a sort of emergency door closing on the other side of the tube. He feared he would not make it, until the rushing water swept him off of his feat and carried him like some horrible slide. Jack flew right through the door as it shut, sealing the water on the other side. He stood up as quickly as he could, not sure what he would face in this new room. The glass must have given just as he came through the door for the metal bent in knocking him back.

When he got up he found himself facing another splicer. He lunged at Jack and clipped him in the shoulder. Jack spun around and smashed him in the face. The disgusting man went down quickly. Through a door at the end of the room, Jack could hear someone else approaching.

"I told him that gal was trouble, but why would he listen to me?"

"These guys aren't much for being quiet I see"

"Like I said Jack, Adam does damage to a man's brain. Now let's see that power in action. When this guy comes through the door hit with the electrobolt. Then give him a smack with your wrench. Remember the one two punch." Jack waited by the door and when the man came through, wearing what he was sure was once a very nice suit. Jack sprang.

Releasing the electricity it flew at the man, stunning him. As bolts of electricity encircled him Jack swung with his weapon and the man was down.

"Nicely done lad, now don't be afraid to search him for anything useful. I am sure that Rapture won't mind. She don't need it anymore." Jack took Atlas's advice and searched both men he had just killed. Finding some money, but nothing else of value. He took the money regardless, even though he was unsure as to if he would need it down here. He kept on going.

Jack noticed that his shoulder no longer hurt.

"Atlas, that guy got me in the shoulder, but it doesn't hurt anymore."

"It's the Adam lad; it'll heal your wounds with time, the smaller the wound, the quicker it will heal. Just try not to get too many at once, it aint no miracle potion."

After trekking through more of the deserted city and dealing with several more, Splicers, Jack came to what appeared to be a restaurant.

"Ah, the Kashmir restaraunt. This is where the war truly kicked off. Its wear I chose to attack first."

"Yeah Atlas, you mentioned something about being a leader or something." Jack continued walking.

"Yeah, I was. I tried to lead a rebellion against Ryan. All the rich folks in rapture had all of the Adam. Leaving the poor sods in the lower section to go crazy and all. I decided that it was time I took a stand. Back before everyone was completely mad, they followed me in my attempt to rid Ryan of his throne. But it is exceptionally hard to bring down a king in his own castle lad. Like I said, that restaurant was where I began my assault on New Years Eve of 1959." Jack had to stop and deal with another crazed denizen who had sprung from behind some boxes. "But like I said, it doesn't matter now; all I want to do is get the ruddy hell out a Rapture. I've lost the war."

The man Jack had just killed had been concealing a pistol. Jack gladly took it and found it to be fully loaded. He continued down a flooded/broken flight of steps and found himself in a large hall, and to his right an opening with a large neon sign that read "Neptune's Bounty"

"Alright Jack, let's go get my family" Jack stepped toward the opening, he hadn't gone five steps before a grate slid down, and a droid moved up and began sluing flames. Jack jumped back just in time. "Ah shit, Its Ryan, goddamed Andrew Ryan! Get outa there." Jack turned and began running for the other entryway. But another grate slid down, blocking his escape. "Ah shit, hang on I'll get it open." Jack could hear the screams of the approaching denizens.

"Atlas! You better hurry the fuck up"

"I'm tryin Jack, your gonna have to hold them off."

Jack saw the first pair of them running down the steps. They hopped off the edge of the broken staircase, landing in the pool of water below. Water.

Before Jack knew what he was doing, he hurled electricity into the water. The man and woman pair screamed in agony as they were fried to death.

Jack heard the air rustle behind him, and that was all he needed. He ducked just as a massive pipe swam through the air where his head had been milliseconds before. He rolled and sprang to his feet, as the distorted woman screamed in frustration. He pulled the trigger of the pistiol and her head flew apart in a shower of blood and pus.

He could hear more of them coming now.

"ATLAS!!" the grate slid up.

"Got it, your gonna need to get to Neptune's Bounty through Emergency Access in the Medical Pavilion… GO!" but Jack was already running and through the door. He ran into a room surrounded by glass walls. The door slammed shut behind him. He ran toward a giant bulkhead door, but it would not budge.

"Atlas?"

"I know Jack, I'm working on it!" just then a large screen turned on behind Jack. The screen was behind the large glass wall. It showed the image of a man looking down in a wide brimmed hat, so that his face was blocked from view. The word Ryan was displayed in the corner.

"So, tell me friend. Which one of the bitches sent you?" the voice was unmistakable. Smooth, pampas, angry. The same voice Jack had heard on the sub. The voice of Andrew Ryan. "The KGB wolf? Or the CIA jackal?" Splicers were approaching the glass, at least ten of them. They began to bang and scream. " Here's the news: Rapture isn't some sunken ship for you to plunder, and Andrew Ryan isn't the giddy socialite who can be pushed around by government muscle" The glass was cracking. And Jack was preparing himself for the worst as he heard the first sounds of shattering.


	3. Ryan's Reveal

**Bioshock**

**Chapter Three: Ryan's Reveal**

Sgt. James Sullivan sat in front of Ryan's desk staring blankly out of the large window at the dark sea beyond. That was one of the things he really missed about the world topside, the sun. Because they were so far down, no sun light got through. All they had were the lights of Rapture, eternal twilight. Up top, Sullivan was virtually a nobody. But down here he was chief of police. Well more like head of security, there wasn't really a police force so to speak. That was why he could live in eternal twilight. If no sunlight was the cost of freedom, so be it.

He knew what Ryan was going to ask of him. It could only be Fontaine.

"Why?" Sullivan had asked Ryan during their first encounter. "Why would you need police in the Garden of Eden?" Sullivan wasn't even really sure how he had been chosen to come to Rapture, but he was not about to question it. If Rapture was going to offer him an escape from dealing with the Mafia and other hoodlums of New York then he was on board. But he could not stop himself from asking that question. Why would Ryan need muscle in paradise?

"Security James." Ryan had stated "Even in a perfect world a man has got to have a little security, for there will always be those who seek to bring it down." Ryan was right after all. So that was it Sullivan had come down here within the week. It was real peaceful like for a while. But then there came these rumors of "Smugglers" and Sullivan knew what would happen. All it would take was a small whiff of this to reach Ryan. And there was not a single thing Ryan did not know about in his city.

The door opened then, and in walked Andrew Ryan.

"James" he smiled "No, please, do not get up." Sullivan sat back down. Ryan walked over and took a seat behind his desk. "How are you?"

"I aint got no complaints Mr. Ryan."

"Good, now, I want to talk about this whole smuggling business." Sullivan had known it. Ryan could not let this go on. Sullivan personally had no problem with it. Ryan on the other had could not stand to see another man gain more power than him. "I know it has to be Fontaine, he has established himself as a very notable businessman. You know, when he opened Fontaine Fisheries I had no problem. He was supporting the very purpose of Rapture. But now his business has become a front for this "smuggling" shit." Ryan said the word with disgust "I mean don't they get it James?" Ryan was getting worked up, he stood and began to pace back and forth behind his desk. "This place was built to separate us from them" He pointed straight up."And by them bringing in these petty material possessions, they are destroying the very essence of Rapture."

Sullivan did not really understand how bibles and crosses were petty. That was what the majority of the objects were that were being brought in. And people only needed those, because they had nothing else to turn to. Ryan's "keep what you earn" philosophy left those who were less than fortunate, to struggle. While all of the socialites, such as Sullivan himself, had all the power, money, and Adam. Though Sullivan refused to touch the stuff. But Sullivan was a man of loyalty. Loyalty to the law and to Rapture, and all those things led back to Ryan.

" They just can't seem to understand that any contact, ANY, with the world outside threatens to bring the parasites that we fought to escape. So James. I want you on this case full time. Forget everything else. I want Fontaine brought down. This smuggling thing is just the start, I'm sure of it. Before long, he will resort to murder, extortion. And then what, it will be like you never left the city." Ryan was right, after all. Ryan was always right. Sullivan hated the thought of this place becoming just another Manhattan.

"You got it Mr. Ryan. I swear I will bring this slimey bastard down."

"That's the attitude James." Ryan smiled, Sullivan had not known it then, but it was a smile of victory.

* * *

Bill McDonough never thought of himself as special. He had been a general contractor up top. That was how he had met Andrew Ryan. He had been doing the plumbing in Ryan's Park Ave. flat, when Ryan approached him.

"Excuse me?"

"Bill McDonough sir, how do you do?" He extended his hand and Ryan took it.

"I do fine Bill now, what is this I see here you've got me down for brass fittings? My general contractor had me down for tin." Bill had laughed then, well chuckled is more what he did. With all his money Ryan had still managed to hire an amateur contractor.

"Well Mr. Ryan, I'll do the tin, but then I suppose it'll be him who's bailing out your lou once a fortnight. So if its money that you're worried about then I'll be picking up the brass."

"And why would you be doing that?" Ryan asked

"Because no man bail's out a privy built by Bill McDonough." And that was it the next day. Bill found out that he was Ryan's new general contractor. Few years after that Ryan came to Bill and asked him for a little help.

"Bill," he said "how good a swimmer are you?" Ryan had always been a good mate to Bill. At least he had. Bill was asked to help build a city underwater. Ryan knew that pipes where his expertise, so naturally Bill did what he did best. And on November the fourth 1946 Rapture opened her hatches. And the next few years where the best of his life. But, Rapture changes people, and not even Andrew Ryan was immune from its power. Matter of fact he was more vulnerable than anyone.

When Adam was discovered, despite the raves of the people. Bill vowed not to touch the stuff. Turned out to be a good idea after all. Then this Fontaine guy emerged. He set up shop in the lower class section of Rapture. Trying to appeal to the lesser people. And it worked; pretty soon they began to look to him as a sort of leader. They began to rebel against Ryan and his ink.

Fontaine Futuristics was practically given away plasmids. Not to mention the whole smuggling thing. So Ryan naturally wanted it stopped. Bill was on board, as part of the council he made it his mission to take Fontaine down. But he had not realized just how hard that would be.

* * *

Who the hell was this little rat? Ryan had watched the one called Jack emerge from the bathysphere. Had watched as he evaded a spider splicer. This guy even had the audacity to use Ryan's plasmids. But the worst thing was that he was being helped. Atlas, the worst of the worst. He of course could hear anything that the two said between each other. He heard Atlas say that his family was trapped in a sub in Neptune's Bounty. Strange Ryan had not known that Atlas had had a family. All the more reason he should not be trusted. There was not a thing or person Ryan did not know about in his city.  
Just when Ryan had taken down Fontaine, just when he thought his city was safe again. Atlas emerged as the lower classes new leader. No matter, Ryan was sure that this little parasite could be dealt with.

Ryan had been sure that he would have been killed when he blocked the way to Neptune's Bounty. But that little bitch had overcome Ryan's splicers. How, could this nobody be so skilled? That just furthered Ryan's assurance that he was some government pig.

"Don't worry Mr. Ryan; no one can stand next to you."

"I know Bill, but Atlas will surly want this kid to kill me, no matter what he says about just wanting to get his family out." Ryan turned to look at his friend. Who was sitting casually at his desk with his feet up.

"That's the truth Mr. Ryan, Atlas hasn't been fighting this long just to lie down and let you burry him." Ryan turned back to the monitor and watched as Jack approached to bulkhead to the Medical Pavilion.

"And I will not go down without a fight. Bill I must tell you something" When he turned to look, Bill was gone. "Get a hold of yourself Andrew, Bill is dead and you killed him." Right, Ryan entered a command into the computer that locked the man in the room, and another that sent a few of Ryan's real friends out to play. He decided that is was time he introduced himself. He filled a large screen behind the man with an image of himself.

"So tell me friend" he spoke into the mike. "Which one of the bitches sent you? The KGB wolf? Or the CIA jackal?" Splicers were approaching the glass, at least ten of them. They began to bang and scream. "Here's the news: Rapture isn't some sunken ship for you to plunder, and Andrew Ryan isn't the giddy socialite who can be pushed around by government muscle" Ryan felt victory in hand until he heard the voice of Atlas.

"I got it boyo, go go now!" Anger flared in Ryan as, yet again Jack escaped his demise by a few seconds. As the bulked closed Ryan recalled his splicers.

No matter, he was in Steinman's territory now. Ryan would just have to sit back and watch. He was sure that Jack would go no further.


	4. Medical Pavillion

Bioshock

**Chapter Four: Medical Pavilion**

Jack's heart was still pounding in his chest as he tumbled out of the bulkhead and plopped himself on a dirty couch.

"You just met Andrew Ryan, the bloody king of Rapture."

"No kidding?" Jack got up.

"Ok Jack let's keep moving, you're gonna need to get to the emergency access. Be careful though this is Dr. Steinman's turf. And I bet he is still kicking around. Play your cards right and you won't have to deal with him."

"Alright," Jack got up and began to move. He was in a large hall that once, like the rest of the city, must have been quite beautiful. There was a large neon sign that was barely hanging on by two chains in front of a broken balcony that read "Medical Pavilion".

"It's gonna be right through that bot shop there on your left mate." The voice of Atlas guided him through the door. There was a glass display that held some machines like the one he had seen attack that woman.

"I told her that dress was tacky, but do you think she would have listed to me, ha ha ha." Jack heard the voice and immediately ducked into the shadows next to a desk. There was a woman just pacing in front of an entryway. "Emergency Access to Neptune's Bounty"

Taking careful aim with the pistol, Jack fired. The crazed denizen's mad rambling ceased forever. He walked toward the bathysphere, clearly visible beyond the opening.

"Just hop in and that should take you right to… Ah shit not again." Another grate slid down, yet again keeping Jack from his objective. An alarm began to sound and flashing red lights were everywhere.

"What now Atlas?" Jack could hear approaching splicers.

"Your gonna need to get up there and shut off this alarm, looks like this isn't gonna be as easy as I thought."

"Up where-" but as Jack looked up he saw a control panel on top of a metal balcony.

They were coming through the door now, and Jack saw that the first looked like a doctor. He was followed closely by a woman in a bunny mask, and another disfigured man.

He threw lightning at the doctor, and as he was stunned Jack rolled underneath a swing from the woman. As he came up, his pistol threw death at the man, who went down with a groan. The woman came at him again, and he smashed her across the face with the wrench. Her mask flew from her face and landed on the floor. The doctor, having just recovered from the bolt, received another along with a smack with the wrench. The woman was not down yet. As she was getting up, Jack fired a shot that separated her brains from the rest of her head.

Jack ran up the steps as fast as his legs would carry him. The alarm had stopped but the red lights were still flashing. The consol seemed simple enough, Jack pressed the one lone switch, but nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing.

"Ah damn it all to hell, I shoulda known."

"What, what is it?"

"We need to get the key to this gate lad"

"Right Atlas I figured that much, where the hell is it?"

"Only one man has that key Jack. Dr. Jeffery Steinman."

* * *

Diane McClintock lay underneath a large oak in the middle of the most beautiful field she had ever seen. Lying on a thin blanket she stared up at the bluest sky in the world. This had to be the most perfect day in the world. The only thing that could make it any better was-

"More Champaign darling?"

"Andy!" she laughed. He looked so young and handsome. And it was good to see him out of the normal suits that he usually wore. Today he wore a plain white shirt, with brown shorts.

"Of course dear, who else would it be?" he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, Andrew" she sighed as she lay back down. "I was having the most peculiar dream. You would never believe it. I was in an underwater city. Built by you no less, and there was an explosion. Oh it was so real." She smiled as she sat back up.

"Absolutely absurd dear, why would I build a city underwater?" Diane turned her head into the breeze.

"I don't know, it was just a dream. Oh Andy I love yo-" As she had turned to say this to her lover she found that he had disappeared. She stood up, now frightened. "Andrei!"

"I love you to DEAR!" Andrew was behind her and he began to choke her. She could barely hear his voice over the sound of her own death.

"Miss McClintock, what a fine job I did."

"Miss McClintock?"

Diane awoke from her horrible nightmare, and found Dr. Steinman standing over her. Of course, she was not in any field with the man of her dreams. She was recuperating at the Medical Pavilion from the New Years Eve attack.

"Rise and shine Miss McClintock." Steinman was smiling at her. She didn't know why, but that smile always made her feel better.

"Oh, good morning Dr. Steinman" she yawned.

"I have some good news Miss McClintock. I can release you today, and once the scar tissue heals on your face, I can fix it right up." That was good news, she had been stuck in this hospital for about a month, and it was going to be good to see the city again. Although she had been hearing things. Apparently the New Years attack was just the start, now there was a full fledged war going on.

She looked at Dr. Steinman with the same question in her eyes that she had ever morning.

"I'm sorry Miss McClintock" he said shaking his head. Not even once had Andrew come in to see her. Not once. She knew that he was probably doing damage control on this whole thing, but do you think he could have dropped in once to see is sweetheart. Oh well, she would forgive him, like she always did. No matter what he did to her, or didn't do rather. She always found herself crawling back to him. She would like to say that she was immune from his seemingly endless charm and power over people. But the truth was that she was more vulnerable than anyone. She could not help herself from remembering, for the umpteenth time, the first time she ever met Andrew Ryan.

Shortly after Rapture's opening. Andrew had thrown a huge party, and invited all of his closest friends. Diane had worked for Ryan Industries on the surface, as assistant to the head of the marketing department. That was how she had even been lucky enough to have a chance to come here. Well luck didn't really have much to do with it; it was either come down here and continue working, or go jobless. Ryan had completely dismantled his corporation up top. He put everything into this city.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." There was a balding man with a thick mustache and even thicker British accent on the stage of the Kashmir Restaurant. "I have the great honor of introducing the man who made all this possible" he gestured around " Please welcome my mate, employer, and our guv'nor, Mr. Andrew Ryan!" there were many applause as Ryan stepped onto the stage. You would have thought that the President, or even the Pope had just entered the room. Diane had found herself unable to clap, or cheer. Her eyes were fixed on that gorgeous man. When Ryan opened his mouth, the room fell into silence immediately.

"Thank you Bill. Welcome to Rapture" there were another round of applause "Please do not think of me as your governor, as Mr. Mcdonagh said. Though it is true that I own this place, the great chain cannot be pulled by one man alone. So no, I am not the ruler of Rapture. We are." This was followed by more cheering and clapping. Ryan always had a way with the people. "On the surface," he said quieting his listeners "the parasite expects the doctor to heal them for free, the farmer to feed them out of charity. How little they differ from the perverts who prowl the streets looking for another victim they can use for their own grotesque amusement. I say to you, good citizens of Rapture. What would the Russian bear or the American Eagle do if they discovered our paradise, Our secrecy is our shield. Therefore contact with the world above must be strictly limited to emergencies only. There is no need to invite a parasite that is not wanted. And I am proud to say that there are, nor will there ever be any parasites in our city…" At the end of his speech his eyes made contact with hers, and for a moment the world seemed to stop. He returned to his table and the next thing Diane knew, she was invited to eat with him.

She broke from her pointless day dream to see that Steinman was still there.

"Was there something else Doctor?" she asked, he shook his head as if he were coming out of his own dream.

"Uh, no Miss McClintock, I just want you to know that once that scar tissue does heal, I am going to make you the prettiest girl in Rapture." He sure was sweet. And so interested in her case.

* * *

Dr. Jeffrey Steinman had very often been told that his work was "excellent". How that angered him. Excellent, what Steinman did could only be compared to as masterful. He was so bored with, well everything. The cleft chin, the ample bosom, the upturned nose. His entire career had been spent fixing everyone's bodies, making them symmetrical. Everyone wanted so desperately to be perfect, they were willing to do anything, pay anything, to get it.

How much his work has changed, evolved. He thought of the work that he did now as Godley. And it was a Goddess who showed him the true light.

"Would you care for more Merlot Dr. Steinman?" the waiter had asked him.

"Yes please" Steinman was celebrating, alone unfortunately. Hi's work had never afforded him much time for a social life. Adam, that was his cause for celebration. The things he could do with it. Adam and Ryan, Ryan and Adam. What had he done before these two things came along. He had been happy to cleave a wart here, and shave a cleft chin there. But with Adam the flesh became clay. And what reason did he have to not sculpt and sculpt and sculpt until the job was done. None, Nearly every person in Rapture and been coming to Steinman to have him make them beautiful. Why he had even done it to himself. He was admiring his slightly distorted image in his spoon. He truly was beautiful, what could he do to make his features finer. With his scalpel and Adam he had been transformed, was there not more he could do. What if it wasn't his talents that had failed him, but his imagination.

He noticed that someone had sat in the chair in front of him.

"I'm sorry, this table is-" There sitting in front of him was the Goddess. A perfect blonde bombshell in a red dress.

"Steinman." Her words were like rose petals, and they only smelled as sweet. "I am here to free you from the tyranny of the commonplace. I am here to show you a new kind of beauty."

"What do you mean Goddess?" he asked her, his eyes closed.

"Symmetry, dear Steinman, it's time we did something about symmetry." When he opened his eyes the Goddess was gone. What had she meant by symmetry? Weren't all of his patients perfectly symmetrical? But that was it, they were too perfect.

"Was there something else Doctor?" Steinman shook his head, braking from his memory of the encounter with his Goddess.

"Uh, no Miss McClintock, I just want you to know that once that scar tissue does heal, I am going to make you the prettiest girl in Rapture." He sure would.

* * *

"Ok Atlas, let's go find this Steinman guy then. Where is he?" After searching the bodies of his dead attackers, he managed to scrounge up a few more bullets and a first aid kit. He was already moving back into the main hall.

"Well…" Atlas paused as if thinking "there's only one place that crazy bastard is bound to be. And that's in surgery." Jack was heading up the stairs toward the entrance to the Medical Pavilion. At the top he had to dispatch another crazed doctor. "But Jack, Steinman aint no pushover. You need to be careful. He took to Adam worse than most. Course that boy was probably crazy before he started playin with it."

"So, it's safe to say that saying please won't have much effect?"

"Fraid not mate." Jack had come to the top of the stairs, and when the door opened, he immediately wanted to vomit.

There were pictures of women on the wall that were all messed up, and held in place by various surgical equipment. But the worst was what was written on the floor.

"Above all, do no harm.

J. Steinman"

It was written in blood. Jack tried to ignore it. He followed the signs through the smelly corridors that pointed toward surgery. Dealing with several splicers along the way. A door with "J. Steinman's Aesthetic Fields" above it came into view. Pacing in front of it was another woman in a bunny mask. He hit her with lightning and then a wrench.

"Why do they wear those masks?" he said to himself not expecting an answer.

"Dunno, maybe there's some part o them that remembers being normal." Made sense. He continued through the connecting glass tube there was a door to his right and another at the end of the hall

As he went through the door at the end of the hall, he found himself in yet another large entry hall. But he was not alone. There, in the middle of the floor, looking at a dead body on the floor was another one of those doctor splicers.

Jack's approaching footsteps alerted the "man" and he turned. As his grotesque face made eye contact with Jack, he let out a scream.

"Uhh, ugly. WE Must FIX THAT!!" And he took off running before Jack could do anything. He went through the door to Surgery. Jack began his pursuit. But the man had dropped something.

"JACK MOVE!!" Atlas's warning came just in time, as Jack leapt back, the grenade exploded; creating a pile of debris that blocked his way through. Jack stood up a looked on with dismay.

"Of course!" Jack yelled "why the hell would anything in this fucking place be easy."

"Take it easy Jack, we can handle this."

"No Atlas what you mean is that I can handle this right. Let me guess I have to go to some other ridiculous part of this hell hole that will lead me to another place that will lead me to yet another place that can get me through this pile of shit. Am I right?" Jack did not know why he was getting so angry. Maybe it was just the stress of the situation. And Atlas seemed to understand.

"Look Jack, would you kindly just calm down. I am not even anywhere near you right now. I been making my way from Olympus Heights, tryin to get to Neptune's Bounty. Not to mention I've had to stop every five seconds at one of these security terminals so I can hack it and keep tabs on you. Alright, So with my help, "WE" are gonna get through that pile of "Shit" ok."

"Ok I'm sorry Atlas, it's just-" There was rumble that made Jack loose his balance for a moment. "What the hell was that?"

"This place has gone to hell, with no one to tend to her needs. Right, we are gonna need to find you a new plasmid boyo. There should be a Telekinesis somewhere in the Medical Pavilion.

Jack headed back into the connecting glass tube. But, yet again, debris blocked the way he had come. He had no choice but to go through the other door. Coming through the door he was nearly hit by something that exploded through a glass divider to his right. He looked at the object a moment, before realizing that it was one of those giant divers, this one burnt to a crisp. Jack stood up and looked into the room through which the monster had come. Inside he saw a little girl. She was backing away from a splicer. Jack tried to throw lightning at the man, but found that he could not, so he took careful aim with his pistol and fired putting the man down before he could do any harm. The little girl ran into a corner of the room and began to weep.

"Atlas, I got no more lightning."

"Figures, you'll be needing some EVE."

"Where do I get it?"

" We'll see to that later Jack, if you're gonna survive in this place, your gonna need some more Adam first. And you'll have to get it from that Little Sister." Jack had passed through a door into the room and was now advancing toward the little girl. Her sickly green eyes looked into his, as if begging him not to do what Atlas was telling him to.


	5. Adam's Curse

Bioshock

**Chapter Five: Adam's Curse**

Tenebaum was returning from her lab after yet another failure to yield more Adam from those damn slugs. She entered her kitchen and lobbed a container with a slug onto the table. No matter what she did, no matter how many tests she performed, she could not squeeze a drop of Adam more than she had on her first encounter with the creatures.

After setting a kettle on the stove she took a seat at the table across from the slug.

"Why is it that you are wanting to be so difficult? I know it is in you to secrete more Adam, yet you continue not to. And I am out of ideas. Maybe we were just not meant to use what we do not understand." The slugs silence was louder that any response she was hoping to hear. "Why do you mock me?" the anger in her voice startled her.

She picked up the crate and walked over to the sink. Setting the crate on the counter, she retrieved a bowl, and a large jar of salt from the cupboard. She dumped the slimy creature into the bowl. "If you will not do as I want you to then of what use are you?" She absolutely refused to go along with Suchong's theory of a child host, even to her it sounded wrong. She had a sort of soft spot for children, if their lives could be just a little bit better than hers, they might not turn out as she did.

Granted, she was brilliant, but that did not make up for the void of loneliness that she sometimes felt. Shaking her head, she picked up the salt.

Her doorbell rang just as she was about to deposit the jar of salt into the bowl. Setting her anger aside she went to the door. It was most likely Yi. He always stopped by to hear about her days work.

Opening the door, she found someone much smaller than Dr. Suchong. A little girl to be accurate.

"What do you want?" Tenenbaum stared down at the young blonde girls sad eyes.

"I'm sorry, I can't find my home. Have you seen my Mommy?" Tenenbaum starred at the child. It was not so unusual for the neighborhood kids to play tricks on her. This girl didn't look like any of the normal children who more often than not, fooled her, and called her names. Against her better judgment she stepped aside to permit the little girl to enter.

"No child, I have not. But let us call her shall we?" The little girl ran inside. Shutting the door Tenenbaum led the child to the kitchen. "What is your mother's name girl?" the child sat down at the table.

"Edna and mine is Sarah." Tenenbaum had the phone book out and was flipping through the pages.

"Last name chi- Sarah, please be more specific."

"Parker." From the sound of Sarah's voice behind her Tenenbaum could tell that she was exploring the kitchen, as children do.

After a few moments of searching she found "Parker, Edna and Tomas" in the book.

"Ah here it is now let us be calling your-"

"What's this?" From the sound of the girl's voice she had undoubtably found something that she found extremely disgusting. And there was only one thing in the kitchen that could be classified as such. Tenenbaum had completely forgotten about the slug.

Whipping around Tenebaum saw the girl reaching to poke the slug inside its glass container on the counter.

"What are you doing? Get away from th-"But it was too late, the creature moved with surprising speed. It slithered up the girls arm. She let out a horrible scream as the slug reached her face and began to squirm into her open mouth. Tenebaum could only watch in silent interest. It was not in her to feel fear for this little girl as the creature disappeared into her body. Even as Sarah fell to the floor convulsing, Tenebaum could not help but explore the scientific aspiration of what the slug had just done.

Only when the child lay still, did she approach her. Sarah looked, for all the world, dead. As Tenebaum reached to feel for a pulse small green eyes opened slowly to peer at her. Stepping back from her, Tenebaum asked, with as much forced concern as she could muster.

"Are you alright." The girl looked up at her as if she had never seen this crazy lady in stained green jumpsuit before.

"Yes" was all she said standing up. Tenebaum was quite sure that she was anything but alright. The child's skin had become a sickly pale color. And her eyes had a dead look to them.

Suddenly the child opened her mouth and spewed vomit onto the floor. It was a massive pile, and Tenebaum would have been utterly pissed and disgusted had she not noticed something about it. It looked exactly like…It was…. Adam. Maybe Suchong's idea was not so crazy after all.

Tenenbaum now stood on a balcony that overlooked what used to be a meeting hall. She watched as the child and her lumbering companion entered and were attacked by one of those idiotic splicers. She could do nothing to stop that "man" from defeating the giant. And she was just about to give up hope as he closed in on the little girl.

A single shot rang out, and the creature was down in a pool of his own blood. She smiled, something she had not done for some time, as the man she had been watching all night entered the room. She could hear the voice of Atlas as he drew nearer.

"Alright Jack, this isn't going to be pretty, but you need to get the slug that's in that girl. Its best if you just get it over with, cut her stomach open and take that thing out. Then you need to squeeze its liquid into your mouth." The man was slowly approaching the child.

"I don't know Atlas, she is just a girl."

"You would be wise to not listen to your friend" Spoke Tenenbaum, emerging from the shadows. "These are just little girls, despite their outward appearance. It is my fault that they are as they are. Please help them, show me that there is some good left down here." She tossed down the plasmid that he would need in order to save them. "Use this to set them free. I will of course compensate you for your trouble." This man from the surface must still hold a great desire for money, while she had no need for it down here. At that she slinked back into the shadows and watched to see if this man would be as noble as she believed him to be, but then again, she had been fooled before.

* * *

Jack picked up the syringe that the Russian woman had just tossed to him. The little girl was now huddled next to an old suitcase. Lifting his arm he pressed on the plunger, this time there was no pain, only a slight tingling that ran through his whole body. He approached the girl and lifted her into his arms. Automatically his left arm began to glow a bright white color. He Knew that if he touched her with his left hand that he would "save" her, as that woman said. On the other hand he did need Adam, according to Atlas.

Jack suddenly thought of the crash. Strange how it had not come up in his mind until now, but standing here with this "little girl" in his arms he was reminded of the blonde kid on the plane. She was dead now, so was her Mom. What right did he have to take the life of this child, and how dare the people in this place ask him to make that kind of decision.

That Russian dame had offered Jack money, but that was not at all the reason that he pressed his left hand to the temple of the girl.

There was an intense numbness that rocked his arm, and a great blast of bright light. When Jack's eyes focused again the girl stood before him. Her skin was no longer off shaded and her eyes had become light blue. She smiled, "Thank you mister" and ran off crawling into an air vent.

"What a bloody waste" spoke Atlas "Oh well I can only give advice can't I, can't make a man do something he doesn't want to."

Jack shook his head after the girl. His attention turned to wear she had been. On the floor was a pile of greenish, well, slime, was the only word that came to mind. "Sorry Jack, I know it aint the most appetizing thing in the world, but your gonna need to eat that. Unless you want to end up like the rest o the poor bastards down here."

After his meal, Jack actually found himself feeling a lot better. Energized, he thought was the best way to say it. He continued through another room and emerged from a door right across from Aesthetic Fields. Unfortunately he was not alone, there were more splicers blocking his path.

Jack was surprised at how little killing these people affected him, was it because they were already dead. Or was there something in him that made him able to take a life. No, that was not it at all, he had let that girl live hadn't he. He quickly dispatched the few spilcers that inhabited the Foyer.

He noticed a syringe hiding under a chair, it contained a blue liquid.

"Hey Atlas, there is one of those needles here loaded with some blue crap, this wouldn't be what I need would it?"

"Well yes and no. It aint Telekinesis, but It is EVE and you need that to fuel your Plasmids." Jack injected the chemical into his arm and immediately felt the power return .

"Where did you say the Telekinesis plasmid was Atlas?" Jack asked as he looted the corpses of the splicers he had killed.

"It is most likely in the Dental wing."

"Most Likely?" Jack asked sarcastically. "Look Atlas I aint going to get to far on "Most Likely" I need definites here pal."

"Fine then, It _**is**_ in Dandy Dental."

"Alright then, let's go to Dandy Dental"

Following Atlas guidance Jack went down the steps next to Aesthetic Fields and found a giant pair of teeth grinning at him above the neon Dandy Dental that was not working. But the lack of electricity was the least of Jacks concerns about this door.

"Ah horse Shit!" Jack swore.

"What, What is it boyo."

"This door is completely covered in ice Atlas!" and Jack already knew why even without Atlas's insight. There was a broken pipe amidst the ice.

"Pipe must have burst; this far down that water is colder than a witch's tit. Looks like this aint gonna be as easy as I thought."

"Atlas, aint nothing been easy since I left that plane. So let me guess I need to melt this ice right?"

"Right you are Jack, you are gonnna need an Incinerate plasmid." Jack remembered the ad that had played in the bathysphere on his way down. Incinerate "fire at your finger tips".

"And where might that be?"

"The crematorium"

"Boy you people aint much for originality down here are you."

"Well considering that you are in a gigantic underwater city miles beneath the ocean, I would have to disagree with you on that one."

For the first time that night Jack actually laughed as he headed back up the stairs. "Yeah well-"

"Ughh" Jack ducked just in time to avoid a swing from a massive drill that smashed into the wall where is head had been. He tumbled down the stairs and landed in a heap at the bottom. Getting up quickly he watched as one of those Behemoths descended the stairs with a little girl in tow.

"I'm ready for dream time Mr. B." the child said lazily as she walked right past Jack without even appearing to have seen him. The girl walked over to an air duct and her monster pal helped her into it. All the while jack was running for his life up the stairs.

"Christ Atlas" Jack said out of breath. "That thing nearly killed me"

"Not to worry Jack" He said almost cheerily "Them Big Daddies will only want to kill you if you mess with their Little Sisters. Other than that, they just want you out of their way."

"Ok, good to know" Jack rose and began to head toward the crematorium as indicated by the wall signs.

After dealing with a few more splicers Jack came upon the place. "Eternal Flame Crematorium" And as he drew nearer he heard something. Crying, there was a woman standing in front of the door to the Crematorium.

"Let me in, please, please just let me in" she was pounding lightly against the door; Jack was now standing behind her. He raised his gun and prepared to-

There was a huge explosion and Jack was flung back as the woman was incinerated on the spot and the large metal door dug into the wall just feet from Jack.

"Haha" there was a man standing in front of Jack. He dropped a small can that rolled to a stop at His feet. Something tolled Jack that there was probably something a little more than soup in there.


	6. Frankie Boy

**Bioshock**

**Chapter Six: Frankie Boy**

Frank Fontaine descended the steps of his lavish Olympic Heights penthouse. Behind him stood a stuffed polar bear, frozen forever in a proud and triumphant roar. He liked having it around, not only because it was a symbol of power and fear. But it reminded him that even the most powerful and feared could one day end up stuffed and on display in the entry hall of someone greater. It was Fontaine's mission to never end up like that bear.

The person that he was descending those stairs to meet with was someone who could ensure that he remained on top. She would help him replace that bear with something even more powerful and feared, Andrew Ryan.

Up top Frank had just been another conman looking to make ends meet. But down here, where the law was only as powerful as Ryan allowed them to be. The possibilities were endless. This was it; this was the big score that every conman dreamed of. And these people were making it so easy. To them it was impossible that anyone with bad intentions would come down here. Down to Ryan's Utopia where only those that he said were allowed.

That was where Fontaine's long years of hard work had paid off. You see anyone could afford a ticket to Rapture. It was either who you knew, or how much dough you were willing to shell out. In Frank's case, it was both.

Fontaine had done work with a man named Jimmy Spats. Jimmy was the son of a powerful mob boss. Jimmy had somehow gotten a Ticket to Rapture. Now Jimmy was the kind of guy to brag about things. You know new cars, newer girls. That sort of stuff is what can get a man killed. So when Jimmy started telling everyone about this great underwater city that he was going to make it big in, naturally it caught up to him. Fontaine used all of his money and connections to have Jimmy rubbed out, and his ticket passed on. Fontaine then had to make a quick getaway before Spats Sr. got him.

So here he was, Rapture the City of the Unimaginable as some called it. He knew right away which angle to play. The business man who reached out to the poor. He took that one from his friends in the Mob. So he started Fontaine's Fisheries. He needed a way to help those who had been forced to move down here once Ryan Industries closed up top. Some people were still recovering from the depression and had no choice but to come where there would be food, work, and most importantly, shelter.

Yeah, Ryan spun some sad song about parasites and leeches or whatever, and that got the rich folk down here. They would do just about anything to avoid paying taxes. The point was that with the wealthy guys not paying any taxes, there was nothing for the poor people. They just didn't know what to do. There really wasn't enough work in this town for all the people. And what work there was weren't paying much, you know there being no wage laws or nothing

So here comes good old Frank Fontaine, he opens a business, gives people jobs, and then there was the smuggling which he did through Fontaine's Home for the Poor. Mostly it was Bibles, which is what these people seemed to want anyway. Not only did Fontaine gain some profit from selling this stuff, but when the time came to take down Ryan, Frank knew who would stand in front of him.

"Ah Ms. Tenenbaum, welcome, I am so glad I could get you to come."

"Bridgette Please, Mr. Fontaine" he did not ask her to call him Frank. "What is it exactly that you can do to help me?" This Kraut was right to the point, he had to admire that.

"Ah, we will get to that, uh why don't you join me for some coffee in the parlor?" She nodded briskly and followed him into the parlor. Once there were settled, Fontaine made his offer.

"Bridgette, I understand that you have made a discovery." She slammed her cup onto the table with surprising aggressiveness.

"What, you want to laugh at me like the others?" Fontaine had heard of what she had found, she called it Adam, and right away Frank knew that this was just the thing he could use to really take this city for his own.

"Nah, if I were going to do that, I would have done it on the streets. I believe that Adam can change this city, I really do. That is why I want to invest in it."

"Mr. Fontaine, I do not think you understand, this would cost much money and time, and I do not think you have those kinds of resources."

"Doll, you would be amazed at what I could get my hands on"

* * *

Captain Carl Wiess was awoken by the sound of a knock. Focusing his eyes he could see that the clock near his bunk said that it was nearly 11:00. The knock continued.

"I'm up, come in." The door opened and Lt. Commander John Tess entered closing the door behind him. Wiess sat up and began to rub the sleep from his eyes. "What is it Tess?" his said with slight aggravation.

"Sir, I am sorry to wake you but at approximately 22:00 hours our Radar picked up some heavy activity." Now the Captain was interested. He began to get up slowly and get dressed.

"What kind of activity?"

"Sir, it was a plane crash." This was what he had been awoken for. He began to relax.

"Tess, we are the Navy, not the Coast Guard and besides that we have strict orders to-"

"I know sir, and we were going to call the Coast Guard until we saw the coordinates." Slowly the Lt. Commander handed over a sheet of paper. The Captain took the paper and quickly looked it over. This was it; he threw the paper to the floor and was out the door as soon as he could get dressed. Making his way to the Command Deck with Tess at his side.

"Alright start heading for that position, get the name of that Airline and tell them not to leak a word of this, tell them everything is fine and that we are dealing with it. If they ask anything else… tell them it's classified." They had come to the bridge and Tess was already shouting orders. "You" he said pointing to one of the officers." Open a link to extension 213" Wiess picked up the red phone that sat under a label, "Emergency Only" It was only a matter of milliseconds until the other end was answered.

"Sir, this is Wiess. We've found it."


	7. A Dead Wake

**Bioshock**

**Chapter Seven: A Dead Wake**

This was it; it was all out war on Fontaine now. Bill Mcdonagh was sitting in the large meeting room that had once served as a place where the Council could meet and discuss matters of importance in the city. It was now the unofficial "War Room".

Ryan had established a council of the elite in Rapture, eight people to act on behalf of the citizens, with Ryan as group leader. Ryan said he didn't want to rule Rapture alone, said it would be just another dictatorship. So, as Ryan's close friend, Bill was selected to be a part of it. The only other people that Bill knew were Steinman, Cohen, and Sullivan. The other 4 he had never taken the time to get to know.

"He stands for everything that Rapture was built to escape from" This was spoken by Gerry Biles. "I don't see why anything was not done sooner."

"Mr. Biles" interjected Sullivan "We do still obey the law down here, Fontaine aint exactly dumb. There's just no evidence to convict him."

"Listen to yourself!" Shouted John Baker "Evidence, Convict. This is not America. We rule down here and I say we rub out that little shit."

"While I appreciate your attitude John" Spoke Ryan, quieting everyone. "I do not want a riot on our hands; Fontaine has managed to get the lower class on his side. Without being able to convince them of his corruption, I fear that they might revolt."

"I think Mr. Ryan is right of course, we should follow whatever he says." Ryan could have suggested a suicide pact and Cohen would have gladly hopped aboard. Bill had to avoid looking at him; he always had the oddest look on his face whenever he was around Ryan.

"Yeah, so what do we do?" Nicholi Harwick was the only non-American on the council. "Do we kill him and make it look like accident maybe."

"Nah, these people would know it weren't one."

"Well, I don't hear any better idea from you Mr. Sullivan"

"Listen Mr. Ryan, I hate to disagree with you but. We are the elite of the elite. What does Fontaine have? A few measly poor people. I think it is time we put an end to it."

"Mr. Biles, many a leader has made the mistake of underestimating the lower class of the civilization, and I do not intend to be put on that list." More and more Ryan was referring to himself as the leader of Rapture. Long gone were his principles of justice and equality.

"When you look at it that way there is only one thing that can be done isn't there?"

"Dr. Steinman?" Ryan asked. Steinman had become increasingly distant of late. There had been some rumors that he was going insane. They said he gave a woman a whole mess a work that she didn't want done.

"Uh,uh.. What I mean is that we must get rid of Fontaine by any means necessary. We have Mr. Cohen here. Let him continue to sing the praises Andrew Ryan, and take a shit on the name of Fontaine."

"Your eloquence is delightful Jeffrey." spoke the last member of the council Jacob Linus. "But you make a point."

"Sullivan, have you made any headway in your investigation" Bill could not understand why Ryan seemed so keen on asking the same questions over and over.

"No sir Mr. Ryan, its likes I told you before. This guy is slippery."

Ryan leaned back in his lavish leather chair at the head of the large ornate oak table they were seated at. His eyes were closed and no one spoke as he thought. No one except for Steinman who seemed to be muttering to himself or someone that was not there.

"Very well," Ryan said returning to himself "I suppose that the only civil way to do this is to put it to a vote" He looked around the room waiting for everyone's nod. Once all had agreed, he stood and straightened his expensive red suit.

"All who wish to take down Frank Fontaine by any means say I" Biles, Baker, Harwick Steinman, and Sullivan all said their I's. Cohen only said his after Ryan did and Bill finally did as the last one, knowing that even if he hadn't it wouldn't matter and everyone would think less of him. Truth was Bill disliked Fontaine just as much as anyone, he just didn't know how far these people were willing to go to get him.

"And the I's have it, we will move in on Fontaine as soon as a strategy can be worked up."

This was directed at Sullivan, the person with the most experience in this area. "This was the last thing that I wanted to do, but it seems that it is the last thing to do." Somehow Bill doubted it, Ryan's smug little look told him that he had wanted this all along. Rapture had changed his friend, hopefully once this was over Bill could talk to him and change is view, in the meantime.

"Mr. Ryan?" Bill spoke for the first time since this meeting had begun, excluding his vote of course.

"Yes Bill?" everyone stopped gathering coats and hats to see what the quietest member of their council had to say.

"If it is all right with you sir, I would like to go with Sullivan to take Fontaine" this seemed to surprise everyone, why would one of the elite, unless it was Sullivan of course, want to do the dirty work themselves. Then again Bill was just a lowly handyman in their eyes, he was sure of it. This might show them exactly how useful he was. Ryan did not however seem too surprised, he just smiled and said.

"Of course old friend, any help against this tyrant is surely appreciated. Anyone else?" No one spoke, they were all too rich and powerful to have to worry themselves with getting shot. "I didn't think so, Bill, I want you and James to formulate a plan and get back to me tonight." He paused checking his watch "Shit, Diane is going to kill me, I promised that I would not miss another dinner party." And with that everyone left the room, except for Bill and James. They had work to do, Bill was sure that this would earn him a little respect from now on. If these people ever talked to him again they would have more to say than the usual, "Can you please do something about the cold in my room Bill?" he was sure of it.

* * *

Jack had only two options as he saw it. One, he could stay here and die, or two he could kick that can as hard as he could and hoped it flew far enough away. He obviously went with the latter. He pushed his leg out with all of his strength, making contact with the cylindrical object it flew straight towards the man who had dropped it.

The insane smile vanished from his face as the can hit it and simultaneously exploded. Jack was showered with debris and blood. And when the smoke settled the man was no more, just a topless body on the floor.

Picking himself up Jack wiped away the blood as best as he could.

"Shit Atlas," he swore "Isn't there one sane person left in this dump?"

"I'm afraid that you are talking to him."

Jack stepped into Eternal Flames Crematorium. He appeared to be in some sort of reception hall. There were two portraits of the same person on either side of the desk in the center of the room. One however was all cut up and had a pair of scissors sticking out of it. And signed in the bottom corner, as if he were an artist proclaiming his work, was J.S. Steinman.

After searching through the drawers and pocketing a few candy bars he had found, he proceeded into the next room. There was obviously meant to be a wake here, but it didn't seem to ever have happened.

Broken glass and overturned tables decorated the room.

"I'm guessing that there is no place in this city that is like it used to be"

"You'd be right on that Jack, Rapture really was a paradise. But then Ryan just had to go and take a bite of the apple."

Jack thought he heard Atlas crying, but then realized that it was coming from around the corner. He ventured to investigate and found a woman standing over an open coffin in an alcove to the right of the main room.

Forgetting his current position he spoke to her.

"Ma'am" this, as it turned out was not a good idea. She turned and her disfigured face emitted a scream that no one should ever have the right to make. She lunged at Jack, and with his guard being down they both tumbled to the floor. Jack tried to get his gun out but it had flown from his hands before he could raise it.

She did not have any sort of weapon, but her unkempt nails dug into his flesh. He finally got a hand free and was able to shock her. She convulsed as thousands of volts found their way into her body.  
Jack rolled over to his gun, picked it up and ended her suffering. He stood and walked over to her body. All of these people, they were trapped in hell. They came here hoping to escape from the troubles of the world, but instead found bigger ones. Jack became aware that Atlas was shouting.

"Where the fucking Christ are you Jack, answer me!" Jack had not heard Atlas that angry before, then again he had not known him for very long.

"I'm here Atlas, sorry this lady got the drop on me" he said as he tucked his gun back into the seat of his pants.

He raised his arm to wipe his forehead and saw that there was a very large piece of glass sticking out of it. He yanked it out with a wince and the cut almost immediately disappeared. He would have to get used to that.

Jack continued through a door at the back of the service room. This led him to the furnace, which oddly enough was still blazing. Taking a set of stairs next to the furnace, these led him up to what seemed to be the morgue, broken cabinet doors exposed the rotting corpses inside.

"Ok Atlas, what am I looking for in here"

"Alright boyo, you'll need to find a Gathers Garden, that's where they sell the plasmids" Ignoring the fact that a crematorium wasn't exactly the best place to sell things, Jack tried to spot it. He couldn't see much, besides the cabinets the room was very empty, there was a storage closet of sorts off to the corner, he could see inside through the glass windows, but there didn't seem to be a Garden in there. He stepped further into the room, and then spotted it.

It was on its side inside the storage room, it was the same kind of vending machine that he had gotten his first plasmid from; the neon Gathers Garden sign was no longer functional but still legible. He stood in front of the door expecting it to open, but nothing happened.

"Damn, this doors broken" Jack tried banging at the glass with his wrench but it did not have much effect.

"There has got to be another way in Jack, just keep looking" Jack walked to the side of the door and found a hole where a grate obviously used to be.

It was just big enough to afford him passage to the room beyond. He stood up and there sitting on top of the overturned machine was a vial of glowing liquid with a syringe taped to the side.

He picked it up slowly, filled the syringe, took a deep breath and injected it. Again, there was no pain this time, only a slight tingling and blurring of his vision for a moment.

When all was right he looked down at his left hand, which still buzzed with electricity.

"Uh, Atlas, I am not so sure that worked. I still got electricity, no flames." And then as if reading his mind, his had began to glow red.

"All you got to do is concentrate on the plasmid that you need Jack, and then it'll come to you" chimed in Atlas.

There was a loud beeping suddenly as what sounded like a PA system turned on.

"This parasite thinks he can come in and take what he wants" spoke the voice of Andrew Ryan. "Apparently Dr. Steinman needs a hand, 1000 Adam to the man who kills the spy."

After the announcement ended, Jack could hear several crazed denizens coming up the steps. There were four of them they all ran up to the room and began pounding on the glass and the door trying to get to their quarry.

Jack was not about to climb back out there and then try to fight all of them. He looked around frantically trying to find something to use.

The glass began to crack, of course because when he tried he didn't even get a chip in it. He saw nothing of use, a table and a couple buckets of black stuff was all that inhabited the room besides the vending machine.

Black stuff, wait it was oil. Of course he was in a place where they kept a giant oven. He picked up one of the buckets and dumped its contents on the floor where the hole was, he watched as the liquid wound its way out of the room. He could see the splicers look down as the substance reached their feet.

He pointed his hand at the oil and, hoping it was as easy was the commercial said, snapped his fingers.

A fireball erupted from his hand making contact with the oil and igniting it instantly. Jack reeled back scarred for a moment that he had just burned his hand, he looked at it, but it only glowed slightly red, no pain. At least for him, the four splicers outside were all screaming as they were toasted alive. It only lasted about thirty seconds, before their whimpering subsided and they slipped quietly into death.

"Why would these people still listen to a man that has let this happen to them?" Jack asked quietly.

"Ryan can control them with a pheromone, he just points the way and off they go. And you heard him, offering Adam for the life of another human being. He just aint right anymore.

Jack looked back to the task on hand, the oil slick was still blazing, he looked around and found a pipe running along the wall, giving it a sizable whack with his wrench it broke, spewing water out across the floor and over the fire extinguishing it in a cloud of steam.

Crawling out of the storage room Jack walked slowly passed the burnt carcasses of the splicers, just in case one wasn't quite dead. He made his way back to where the giant glacier was blocking his way. He was very careful however the hall was now empty, the lumbering giant and his small companion had moved on.

Jack came to a stop in front of the ice, pointing his hand and snapping his fingers, he released a burst of flame. When he looked again the ice was melting and soon was nothing more than a puddle of water.

"Ok, now let's go get us some Telekinesis" Jack stepped slowly through the door to Dandy Dental. Boy Atlas sure made it sound easier than it was bound to be.


	8. JS Steinman MD

**Ok, here is the next chapter. I made the (I think) interesting descision to place the whole battle betwee Jack and Steinman in Steinman's perspective. Let me know what you think.**

Bioshock

**Chapter Eight: J. S. Steinman MD**

Dr. Steinman was incredulous. How could someone that ugly be allowed into his Medical Pavilion. Well, he would not be infecting him, he had seen to that. The explosion would have blocked his way for sure.

"Hahahaha" he laughed aloud to himself. "I am safe in my world of perfection. Am I not goddess." He brushed the hair back from the face of the woman he was speaking to.

"You are, my sweet" she crooned back. "That man, any man, who is not you only wishes to disfigure your work. They cannot see what a genius you are, what you do to the flesh is no different than what Da Vinci did to the Mona Lisa. Share your gift with the world.

"I will goddess, I will." He had to fight back the tears, what had he done before his muse arrived, nothing, nothing compared to what he did now.

"Jeffrey…."

"Yes goddess" but this was not the goddess speaking.

"Jeffrey, dam it listen to me." Steinman slowly realized that it was the voice of Andrew Ryan.

Ryan had to pull Steinman off of the woman.

"Jeffrey what have you done?"

"Andrew? What the hell do you think you are doing interrupting my surgery?" Steinman was shaking with rage; he hated being disturbed while he worked. Not to mention Ryan was not sterilized and could risk infection to the patient.

"Jeffrey, do you know what you are doing right now?"

"Of course Andrew, this lady wanted a simple nose job and the next thing I know you are pulling at me like a mad man." Steinman looked back to his patient, man was she ugly, and that nose job wasn't going to fix all of her problems. What if he just—he raised the knife to make another incision but was stopped by Ryan's hand on his.

"Look at me Dr. Steinman." He obliged, still fuming.

"What?"  
"Now, look at Mrs. Kempt" Steinman looked yet again at his patient. What he saw made him reel back. The woman lying on the table had a mangled mess of blood and tissue where her face had once been. The EKG machine showing a long lonely still line.

"Jeffrey, the nurse called me; she said you had been operating on a dead woman for over an hour."

Steinman could not believe this.

"Don't listen to him darling" Steinman saw her from the corner of his eye, it was the same beauty that he had seen at the restaurant. "Look at her dear, look how beautiful you have made her." He looked again to where Mrs. Kempt lay. She was indeed a vision of perfection. But only a vision, Steinman sat back down and began to whistle as he went back to work, completely oblivious to the voice of Andrew Ryan screaming in his ear.

Steinman shook his head, what the hell was that? That was very long ago. Back when he was very inexperienced. Why had he remembered that? What had he just remembered? Oh well, back to work.

He began to whistle a pleasant tune as he walked away from the goddess, giving her a longing look. He turned to one of his other patients and started to work.

* * *

Whatever pipe had burst was still spewing out a cloud of freezing water, preventing what was beyond from being entirely seen. As Jack stepped through the cloud he had to react quickly as a mad surgeon, at least he was dressed like one, came leaping at him.

Instinctively he put up his hand and snapped his fingers. The unlucky MD was instantly consumed by flames and began to scream and run frantically around the room in an attempt to escape the inferno that enveloped him.

As a sign of humanity Jack put the man out of his misery with a shot from his pistol.

Now that Jack was through the entryway he continued walking. Around the short corner from where he came he arrived in a large open lobby with alcoves and doors leading to other parts of the "Hospital". In the middle of the room was a wall that divided it, obviously this wall had once held the large broken clock that now sagged onto the floor. It had stopped working at precisely seven o'clock who knew how long ago. That was not, however what caught Jack's eye.

Lying in the middle of the floor was the body of a much disfigured woman with several surgical instruments protruding from her forehead. And, clutched in her left hand was a shotgun. He tucked his pistol into the seat of his pants and bent down to the woman.

With a sickening crunch he pulled the rigid hand off of the weapon and investigated it. He was no expert on weaponry, but the gun looked in good condition and even was loaded with two shells already. He looked around and a few feet away was a full box of ready to use shotgun shells. That's convenient he thought as he bent to shove as many as he could into his pocket.

He stood up and that was when the lights went out. Frantically he raised his newly acquired utensil. He could hear the pattering of bare feet on the stone floor.

A shaky "hey!" was all he could manage. Real intimidating Jack, he cursed internally to himself.

And suddenly there was light and he was blinded as a woman lunged at him.

"That's a tacky little number!" she yelled as he and her both tumbled to the ground. The shotgun went flying and the pistol he had so expertly stored in his pants like some Hollywood gangster caused more than a little pain as his ass made contact with the ground.

He was struggling with the woman on top of him and he could see from the corner of his eye that two more crazed denizens were approaching.

Bracing himself he picked his legs up and pressed out with all his might, which turned out to be a lot actually. His female assailant went flying backwards and into one of the others who were closing in. Smartly he snapped his fingers at both of them and they began to wail in pain. Looking to his right he rolled just in time to avoid the large knife held by another man in surgical garb. The blade made contact with the area in which his head had just been in a shower of sparks.

Standing Jack frantically reached behind him for the pistol, which was not there, great. The two women were still blazing fiercely as they both tried to shake off the flames. But incredibly they were stumbling towards him.

The man who missed with the knife lunged at him again, and, with no other choice, Jack swung his fist with all of his might into the gentleman's face and was quite sure he heard something break as his fist made contact with the splicer's left cheek before he could get the knife near him. Jack however was unsure as to whether or not something in the slpicer's face had broken or whether it had been in his hand. Jack had never really punched someone before, and if there was one thing the movies did not show, it was exactly how much it hurt to hit someone in the face, but there was not much time to ponder on that subject.

The surgeon stumbled backwards, giving Jack enough time to scan for a weapon. There, a few feet to his right was the shotgun.

He jumped through the air to avoid the swing from a wrench held by a blazing hand and landed on the ground skidding into the shotgun. Quickly standing up and turned around he raised the weapon and pulled the trigger just in time. The tightly packed pellets flew into the face of the man who had regained his footing, erasing his head from existence.

The two ladies were nearing him, crazed enough to have apparently forgotten about their burning flesh. He thought and flew lighting into the one nearest him, thousands of volts silenced her. And he raised the shotgun and emptied the other shell into the chest of the second woman who fell to the ground with a groan.

With a sigh, Jack lowered the shotgun and listened. The only sound now was that of the occasional AD or PSA that came over the PA system. Looking down at his hand, he found that it no longer hurt and was once again grateful for the speedy recover thanks to Adam.

It did not take him long to locate the pistol he had been missing. Reloading the shotgun and putting the pistol, this time, into his left pocket as much as he could, he tried to get his bearings.

Behind the wall that separated the room was the main entrance into the Dandy Dental offices. A broken pipe was silently spewing steam near the entrance. Heaving a sigh he stepped up to the doors. They opened with a hiss and he walked inside.

He was in a small reception area, not much of interest there. Continuing through the door directly in front of him, Jack arrived into the operation area. In front of and to the right of him was the body of a man in surgical attire slumped against the wall, a large, too fresh, pool of blood around him. He had not been dead long.

The room was divided into two. A lower section held the once sterile environment where dental practices had been held. This was flooded up to Jacks lower calf with freezing ocean water. A quick review of the area revealed no sign of whoever had murdered the gentleman in the common area.

Jack was confused at first as there seemed to be a room beyond the left side of the dental area, he knew this because the walls were glass and he could see beyond, however he was unsure how to get there. He nearly fell back in surprise when the far end of the glass wall slid up as he walked near it, a door.

This led him to something very unfitting in a dental office, it was some sort of hallway devoted to a tennis player. Maybe the Dentist had a hobby? In any event to his right was another Gather's Garden, again this seemed an odd place for it, but then again he had lost count of the odd things that happened to him that night.

Sitting prettily in the dispenser, was a yellow canister with a syringe tapped to the side. He had to wonder what he would do if he actually had to "pay" to have a plasmid dispensed, as there did not seem to be any sort of money slot on the machine just, he noticed, what seemed to be a large needle on the end of a mechanical arm.

"How exactly do these "Gathers Gardens work Atlas?"

"Well boyo it aint like no soda pop machine if that was what you were thinking. I myself am grateful that you haven't needed to spend any Adam to get yourself plasmids yet."

"Spend Adam?" Jack had a feeling that wasn't something he could just pull out of his wallet.

"Yes Jack, that big ole needle isn't just for looks; it literally sucks the Adam out of you. Once you have given enough to create a plasmid, bam, out she pops. From the looks of things it seems like some poor slobs have just been interrupted before they could claim what they paid for, we should count ourselves very lucky, but trust me Jack, it won't be that way every time." Well that certainly explained the dead man in the other room. Jack slowly picked up the package.

Once again, Jack filled the syringe with the glowing liquid, pressed the needle into his arm and applied pleasure to the plunger until the glass tube was empty.

The numbing feeling told him the genetic modification had taken effect. Thinking about "telekinesis" Jack's hand ceased to glow red and returned to normal. Deciding it important to test his new power Jack pointed his hand at a trophy that sat on a shelf next to him. Flexing the muscles in his arm, he nearly toppled over as the trophy came hurtling towards him. It stopped just short of smashing into him and hung twirling in the air. He would have stayed a moment longer to appreciate this marvel but through the glass door strolled a female splicer carrying a very large pipe. She turned and spotted him.

"AAAHHHH" was apparently all she could manage through her deformed mouth. Jack reflexively relaxed his muscles and the trophy flew like a missile through the air and collided with the splicers head. While she was recoiling, Jack rushed forward and using the butt of his shotgun he smacked her hard enough in the head that he heard her skull cave in and she ceased to live. This place was full of monsters.

"Ok Atlas, Jack spoke after a moment. Can I please go and kill Dr. Steinman now?" without waiting for an answer Jack set off.

* * *

Dr. Yi Suchong sat waiting like a child in the principal's office. Seated next to him was Tenenbaum. Some people called her Dr. he was not one of them. She had never even gone to school, had not received any form of degree and worst of all she was a woman.

They had both been summoned here by their boss, Frank Fontaine. Suchong did not have time for these pesky meetings. Tenenbaum looked as oblivious as ever though. Suchong pitied the little freak. She was so content to just sit there with her tanks of Adam, tweaking and optimizing. Suchong needed to create.

Whatever it was that Fontaine needed to yell at them about, Suchong would find a way out. He was good at creating many things, including reasons as to why he should survive.

For most of his life Suchong had lived in Nanking. When the Japanese invaded in 1937 most of the citizens were content to die with honor. Suchong was not, he was able to barter his life in exchange for supplying the Japanese army with plenty of Opium. And then, in 1946 Suchong stuck gold again by conveniently vanishing to Rapture just as the Chinese government was mounting a conspiracy investigation against him. Suchong was a survivor, he survived the war and the invasion of Nanking, he survived the government trying to lock him away, and he would survive this petty feud between Andrew Ryan and Frank Fontaine.

Just then, as if on cue, Fontaine entered his office.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Dr's." Fontaine spoke with mock apathy as he took his seat behind the desk.

"Mr. Fontaine what is it that you dragged me down here for Suchong has many things of his own he should be doing." Suchong occasionally liked to remind Fontaine of just how valuable he was and exactly how shallow his loyalties really ran. Suchong was always most loyal to the highest bidder, which, in this case, Fontaine was.

"Now you just cool your jets there, you no good chink" Fontaine was now angry, and Suchong resumed his silence. "I don't know who you guys think your working for but Frank Fontaine gets what he pays for you understand? Which one of you wants to tell me why half the city is going insane, and why are people faces damn near falling off. I hired you two to make me rich, not turn all of my customers into god damn Looney Toones. If this city is destroyed it will not be because I left it in the hands of a filthy Kraut and a weasely little Gook"

"Mr. Fontaine…" Suchong began but was unsure how to finish. Honestly he had been so busy with creating new plasmids that he had not found the time to try and figure out why Adam had such adverse side effects, he had not thought it such a large problem.

"The Adam" Tenenbaum spoke and for once Suchong was grateful that she spent so much time studying it. "the Adam acts like cancer Mr. Fontaine. It replaces all of the cells with stem versions, which allows for the creation of the wonderful effects that you see. However, like cancer, it is killing the cells. And that leads to decreased mental activity and in most cases, yes, disfigurement. So people need more and more Adam, and more and more Eve just to be able to stay sane. But, Mr. Fontaine, there will never be enough in the world to keep them from eventually losing their minds." She stopped and gave Fontaine a matter of fact look. "You asked me to create enough Adam that it could be sold, I did this, you asked me to supply this city with a drug, I did this. You did not seem at all concerned with the repercussions. You cannot ask someone to supply a room full of people with LSD's and then become upset when they begin tearing each other's eyes out."

Fontaine had a look of defeat, one that Suchong did not see often. Suchong himself was in awe of Tenenbaums knowledge and balls.

"So, this city just needs more Adam? Fine, thank you Dr. Tenenbaum." She and Suchong got up and began to leave.

"Dr. Suchong, a moment" Suchong stopped with annoyance. As the door closed behind Tenenbaum he turned back to Fontaine.

"Dr. Suchong, there is a very special project that I am going to need you to begin working on" Suchong was intrigued, special projects were his specialty.

"What sort of project?"

With a very large smile, Fontaine replied "Let's just call it, my Ace in the Hole."

* * *

Jack had made his way back to the pile of ruble that barred his path. He had had to deal with several more splicers that had come to claim the territory that had once belonged to the others he had killed. He had managed to find more bullets for his pistol and another syringe full of eve so all in all, he thought that he was ready to fight the maniac that ran this place.

"Ok Atlas, here I go" he pointed his hand at the blockage and flexed, nothing happened, again he flexed and only a slight shuffling of debris was his reward. "Shit, after all I just went through."

"What is it Jack?"

"Atlas, I don't know what we are going to do now because-" Jack stopped because there was a small clinking on the ground next to him and then something lightly bumped into his foot. He looked down to see a can with a fuse dwindling out of the top. "Oh Fu-" he shouted as he quckily jumped through the air as hard as he could. The can exploded and carried him on his way as he crashed into the wall with a crunch.

With a yell of pain he got to his feet as quickly as he could. Looking up he saw a doctor on the balcony above him, he was holding an entire case of those grenades. Jack had barely enough time to register all of this before the surgeon threw another grenade at him. Instinctively Jack put his and up and closed his eyes. But there was no explosion, Jack opened his eyes again and found the can was hovering gently in front of him, the fuse still burning down. Without thinking Jack pushed the can away before it exploded and then dived out to the way of the debris that littered the area from where he had chucked it.

Again the doctor tossed another grenade this time, knowing what he was doing, Jack caught the explosive and pushed it back at his attacker. The can made contact with the balcony erasing it, and the doctor from existence.

Breathing heavily Jack straightened until his back cracked and the pain was gone.

"Are you ok Jack?" Atlas asked

"Yeah, I'm alright. Just played a really intense game of catch is all."

"Right, now what where you saying?"

"I was saying," Jack turned to look at the entryway and found it cleared. The first grenade that he had just thrown to avoid being killed must have landed right on the pile of wreckage and cleared his way.

"I was just saying that I can't wait to meet Dr. Steinman." With that Jack moved through the entryway and found Dr. Steinman at the end of the long hall he had entered. Steinman screamed and pointed a finger as if ordering someone to attack then took off. The someone he had ordered to attack turned out to be a something. A bot came flying around the corner and began to fire on Jack. Diving behind a protruding piece of cement from a hole in the wall Jack prepared himself. Ok robots had electrical components so, Jack jumped from cover and he flung lightning at the bot, not before he felt three distinct bites in his abdomen however.

The bot twirled around and crashed onto the ground and then exploded. Jack pushed himself up against the wall and pulled up his shirt. God it hurt like hell, and he must have been sitting there for two minutes before the bullets pushed themselves out and the wounds healed. Wow, that had been the very first time Jack had been shot.

Jack got up determined to end this thing. He actually ran down the rest of the hall. Under a neon "Steinman Aesthetics" were two doors that read viewing room, he opted for the one on the left pretty sure that it would take him to the same room. He was right, inside was another large room with two doors on either side of a large viewing window. And behind that window was Steinman, operating on a woman, at least Jack thought that must be what she was a one point, as if nothing had been happening. It was all Jack could do to stand there and stare.

* * *

Steinman was sure that his life must have amounted to more than this. He was next in line for chief of surgery at the Benjamin Church Medical College on the surface. So why had he chosen Rapture. He liked what it offered. Steinman had always been a gifted orthopedic surgeon but where he really shined was in plastic surgery, and when Ryan came to him and told him that he would have complete medical freedom in Rapture and that he would entirely be able to experience the true meaning of free enterprise he could not resist. He was made head of plastic surgery and his work was renowned throughout all of Rapture.

And then there was Adam. Steinman found that with Adam he could do such marvelous things,and why should he not be allowed to participate in that glory. So he began to use it as well. There were times when he knew he was crazy, he did have brief moments of clarity though they were very very rare as of late, but then the goddess would come and he would slip back into the bliss that was his fractured mind. It was in one of his moments of clarity that he made one of the best decisions. When the war began between Atlas and Ryan, Steinman sealed the Medical Pavilion off from the rest of the city, of course he had to do this by killing the Chief of Surgery and taking his key. It was just unfortunate for all those who were there when he did so, they became his subjects in his constant strive for perfection. But shouldn't he have deserved more than to go insane and die in a city under the ocean. His cognitive thinking was broken as he looked over at Aphrodite staring at him.

"You are so beautiful goddess" he crooned with love in his voice.

"I know my darling, and you have to make them as beautiful as me" she gestured to the woman lying on the table that rested on the raised platform so that those in the viewing room could see what the surgeon was doing.

"Of course you are right" he stepped up to the patient; my she was an ugly one.

"Please" the woman moaned lightly, he had been working on her before that ugly creature interrupted him.

"Shh, I know, I will try and make you beautiful but you have got to stay still ok" He went to work starting with her nose, but when she began to scream as he cut he stopped. "Doctor Chiles, can you please try and keep the patient under long enough for me to do my job?" he asked of the Anesthesiologist that was not there.

He attempted to go back to work, but again the patient began to cry. "AHHH" he roared.

"Jeffery, you must fix her."

Steinman had lost his patience "I am trying Goddess but how am I meant to when." Each of his next words was emphasized by him plunging his scalpel into the woman's chest in an attempt to make her shut up. "She….will…not…stay…still."

"None of them are perfect Goddess," he pointed all around him to the three women he had on crosses above the operating table as an example of his failures. "This one too fat, this one too short, and this one too symmetrical." With a final sigh he stuck the scalpel into the forehead of his current patient. That is when he looked up and noticed the man in the viewing room.

It was him, the ugly monster who sought to destroy his work.

"Who is this ugly person goddess?"

"Kill him my love" The goddess handed him a machine gun and Steinman roared with laughter.

Steinman opened fire on the gallery and the glass shattered as the bullets flew threw it in an attempt to find their target. Steinman paused for a moment, he would have to be sure that Bill fixed that, he would not be able to operate in here, it was no longer sterile.

A bullet ripping through his right shoulder brought his attention back to the ugly monster. "YOU BITCH" he roared. He turned his gun on the creature and showered him with lead, but the cowered hopped behind the raised platform that held the table.

Steinman ran down and around to the front where the monster had hidden. He was gone.

Steinman was tackled from behind and the machine gun went flying as he and the monster fell to the ground. The monster had lost his weapons when he had dived to avoid the gunfire it seemed. The creature was now sitting on top of him and trying to yell something at him. But Steinman was so distracted by his utterly atrocious features that he could not hear a word.

"Begging will not save you monster" Steinman pushed the creature off of and over him and scrambled to his feet. He picked up his gun and turned to face the ghoul. Then he was hit with a large canister of gas that the monster had apparently thrown at him. This took Steinman into the lower section of the operating room that was flooded with water.

"Bill, I thought I asked you to fix this!" he gurgled as he struggled to his feet. The monster was running up to him and threw a punch; Steinman dogged this and delivered one of his own to the gut of the creature, which caused him to kneel over. Steinman then sent a final blow to the monsters face that sent him up back into the higher portion of the room out of the water. Water, Steinman looked around at the flooded area. "Bill, I thought I asked you to fix this!" his anger at Bills ineptitude vanished as the Goddess pointed to where the machine gun lay under the water.

Steinman picked it up and turned to fire on and kill the monster once and for all. But the monster was standing and pointing his hand at Steinman. Then the creature threw lighting at him and a thousand volts flew into his body and were amplified by the water surrounding him. Steinman crumpled into the water.

Steinman was not dead, his eyes opened briefly and he could see the man above him and he felt him searching him and he felt him take the emergency access key from his front pocket, then he closed his eyes again.

When he opened them again he also found the strength to struggle up to his feet. He walked through the water and up to the higher portion of the operating room, but that was as far as he got, he slumped down next to the wall at the top of the small stairs.

Hearing the wet slump, the man who was leaving turned around and pointed his shotgun at Steinman, but then, seeing that he was no threat lowered it and began to slowly walk over.

"Who are you?" Steinman asked quietly.

The man stopped a few feet away. "My name's Jack"

"Jack, what are you doing, kill him." Steinman would have recognized the voice of Atlas anywhere.

"Just a second Atlas."

Steinman looked around, he was confused. "What happened, where am I, is the war over?"

"You don't remember that you just tried to kill me?"

"Kill you!" Steinman was sure that this was some sort of practical joke, but then he remembered.

"Oh, yes, I do remember now. I am crazy. They told me not to use any Adam, but I did." Steinman looked down at his blood soaked hands. "What have I done." He looked back up to Jack.

"Listen, Jack is it? don't do it, it will kill you. You need to leave this city. I don't know how you got here but you need to leave."

Jack knelt down "Come with me, we are looking for a way out of the city, you can come with and we can get you some real help on the surface." Steinman smiled; this could be his chance to redeem himself.

"What are you doing Steinman? Can you not see that this monster needs fixing?" His goddess was at his ear, she pushed a shard of glass into his hand "Fix Him". Wanting nothing more than to obey his goddess his lunged at Jack and shoved the glass as deep as he could into his stomach. Jack reeled back in pain as Steinman attempted to stand up.

Taking another piece of glass Steinman rushed forward. There was a large bang and Steinman was forced back against the wall, he slumped down once again this time leaving a trail of blood. He looked up from his bloody abdomen to Jack whose shotgun was still smoking.

It was getting dark, and Steinman was getting tired. And before he fell asleep the last thing he saw was the face of his Goddess crying.

"I am so sorry Goddess" he whispered as his eyes closed shut forever.


End file.
